In Line to the Throne
by Bon-Bon Emerson
Summary: An unexpected event in a time of hardship will overjoy and devastate Pride Rock. Originally a oneshot named "A Busy Day, Indeed". The long-awaited next chapter has arrived! Apologies for previous unfulfilled update promises! Rated K PLUS for non-graphic hunting/eating references, and future chapter content. I've edited/re-submitted the first chapter ONCE. Enjoy, and PLEASE review!
1. A Busy Day, Indeed

Before sunrise one morning, in the calm, sleepy depths of Pride Rock's cave, Kovu was uncomfortably being stirred from his sleep.

He could feel someone repeatedly pushing him, whilst muttering something that he couldn't quite make out, but in his semi-conscious state, he just ignored it. After six or seven ever-increasingly firm blows to the side of his head, however, he could tolerate it no longer.

"What? Stop," he grumpily moaned.

"Get up, then," a familiar voice eagerly whispered into his ear.

Kovu blinked slowly and looked around. His vision was quite fuzzy right now, and would only allow him to see someone's beaming, golden-coloured face with reddish-looking eyes peering straight at him.

"Hey, Simba," Kovu mumbled. "What's up?"

Looking around the whole den now, no one else that he could see, apart from Simba, appeared to be awake.

"You'll soon see," the King of the Pridelands replied, seemingly unable to contain his glee.

"Kiara," Kovu loudly whispered into his mate's right ear. After much encouragement, she finally opened her eyes, yawned and blinked a few times.

"What's happening? The sun's not even up yet," she sighed, struggling to hold her eyelids up.

"Come over here, quickly," Simba whispered excitedly. Kiara and Kovu obediently dragged themselves to their feet and trudged over to the king and queen's corner of the den, where Simba was leading them.

The king stopped in front of where his queen, Nala, lay, appearing to be asleep, like most of the other members of their pride. Simba, however, just approvingly ushered his daughter and son-in-law over.

Upon closer inspection, Kovu could see clearly that Nala was, in fact, awake. She had a gentle, loving, motherly smile on her face- it was a smile she displayed often, in quite contrast, Kovu thought, to his own deceased mother, Zira, whose smiles were always lurking with desire and malice.

"Good morning," he and his mate cheerfully greeted his mother-in-law. She sat up, and warmly nuzzled them. Kovu couldn't help but notice how common such an affectionate gesture was now between pride members, unlike when he had lived in the Outlands.

"Hey, you two. Sleep well?" spoke Nala.

Kiara uneasily replied, turning her head to gaze at both her parents, "Yeah, umm, just fine. So, what's the matter?"

"Don't look so nervous. Today's going to be a busy day," the queen calmly whispered. With that, Simba sat behind his mate, and they both wordlessly looked down. "Come closer, so you can see."

The pair did as they were told, and were soon staring speechlessly at it. A small, silent, sleeping lump of moist fur, fixed against Nala's side. It was irresistibly cute, and reminded Kovu of Kiara when he first met her, as cubs.

"This is our baby son. His name is Kopa, and he was born last night. You two are the first ones to see him," Simba explained, not removing his beaming eyes from the cub.

Kiara displayed mixed emotions. Her perky, round eyes seemed confused, but her narrow lips were fixed into a proud smile. After a few moments of silence, she spoke.

"He's adorable. Absolutely adorable. How come you never told us that you were having another baby?"

"We wanted him to be a surprise," muttered Nala.

"Welcome, Kopa. My new baby brother," Kiara sighed warmly.

Kovu said nothing, and his expression, completely different to Kiara's, revealed mostly wonder. He'd never seen a newborn cub before, having been the youngest member of the Outlands pride. He stared at his baby brother-in-law, unable to believe how tiny and precious the little ball of fluff, "Kopa", was. Kovu was lead to wonder if he and Kiara would ever have children. It was quite a confronting thought, but one he felt that he would soon be ready for, if that's what she wanted. Of course, she would be a terrific mother, but how would he fare out as a father, given his rough, loveless upbringing? Was he worthy to father royal cubs? And was this miniature Simba, lying helplessly at his feet, to be his future king? Or was that a responsibility that he himself would have to take on? Kovu realised how much there was to be discussed and considered, and began to feel a little like he had after dinner the day his mother brought home part of three-week-old kudu carcass.

"Today's going to be a very busy day, indeed," he thought aloud.


	2. Shaken

"Are you okay, Kiara?"

Kovu could no longer leave his concerns for his mate's odd behaviour unvoiced. She was completely speechless. She had been since she stepped out of Pride Rock's deep, sheltered cave into the first rays of the rising African sun. The pair had been wandering wordlessly away from their awakening pride, on a mission that would take them to a familiar, friendly baobab tree. They were, as usual, accompanied by Timon and Pumbaa, but that fact seemed to be the only familiar aspect of today's journey. On their normal, regular adventures to and from Pride Rock, the dynamic duo would be trailing a few steps behind the chuckling, chatting royal couple, having a pointless discussion or argument often centred on grubs. Alternatively, the warthog and meerkat would be harmonizing to a traditional old African folk song, or reminiscing about the "old times" of raising a young Simba to adulthood, living carefree, without worries. _Hakuna matata_, they called their old philosophy of living. One that was now all but a distant, lightly lingering, mildly comforting memory.

This morning was quite different, to say the least. No nonsensical chatter or singing was to be heard from any of the four animals. There was an awkward aura of discomfort in the air. Kovu, however, believed that Kiara, out of all of them, seemed the most strangely-behaved this morning, displaying a blank, emotionless expression on her beautiful face. The other two just looked confused and unsettled. Timon had made an odd comment every now and then as they were walking. He constantly tried and failed to break the unusual ice that had somehow formed, despite their hot, dry surroundings, and address the invisible elephant that seemed to have joined them on their trek. He had since given in, accepting that no one could swallow their pride enough to express any acknowledgement or emotion towards his statements. His honest attempts at beginning a conversation were clearly unwelcome. However, Kovu couldn't allow his own non-rhetorical question to go unanswered, and persisted further when it was met with a continuation of the previous prolonged, awkward silence.

"Um, honey, Kiara? Hello?"

"What? I mean, sorry, but come again please?"

Kiara had been lost in her mind, stalking many different thoughts at once, chasing them round and round in circles, but never catching and resolving them. This feeling reminded her of her first solitary hunt, when she had spent hours following and chasing a herd, always causing a small disturbance that would send them speeding away in the opposite direction, just as she was about to pounce.

"Are you alright? You've been so... quiet, this morning. It's not like you. Are you tired or something? I don't know, you just... aren't being Kiara today, if you know what I'm saying. I'm shocked about this morning's events, and I know you are too, but it isn't _just_ that it hasn't sunken in yet... is it?"

Kovu knew his sweetheart all too well not to know that few things could shake the Princess of the Pride Lands. She was thick-skinned and resilient, but also bubbly and concerned. She possessed a perfect balanced blend of personality traits and usual emotions that made him love her so much. He was well aware that only something seriously significant could disrupt her, and throw this balance out of proportion.

"I... I don't know, either."

She was lost for words. Kiara, of all lions, would normally be the last to be lost for words, if such a thing ever dared to occur. She was, and had always been, so confident, so sure of herself, what she wanted, and her opinions. Now, however, she simply struggled to swim for shore in the swirling sea of her stunned mind, and fought to find something, _anything _that would provide her mate with the legitimate answer he was waiting for. She couldn't believe how blocked, how _blank _her brain was at the moment. Desperation filled her like monsoon rains filling a shallow waterhole during the wet season. In a frugal attempt to recollect herself, the princess quickened her pace a little, and stared straight ahead, forcing herself to concentrate on the path ahead. When Kovu, at this point confused, curious and even more concerned than before, inevitably caught with her, she just moved faster, without redirecting her eyes. Just a few moments later, she found herself dashing away from her mate, friends and the path they were taking, like a frightened zebra trying to escape the grasp of a hungry cheetah.

"_Kiara_, what's wrong? _Stop!_ Wait up!" Kovu protested.

"_Kiara_, talk to us!" Timon shouted.

"_Kiara_, come back _please!_" Pumbaa begged.

The group's futile, non-stop pleading yells dived into Kiara's left ear, only to swim out her right one like dying jellyfish. Her meaningless pursuit continued, without faltering, in unusual directions, up and over gentle hills, through dry grass, across sunbaked sand, and on top of rough rocks and cracked soil. She was unstoppable.

Kovu tried desperately to keep pace with her, but unwillingly slipped further and further away from her until she was out of sight. Before he could slow himself to a halt and catch his breath, she had long vanished. In her shaken, shocked state, she had done something crazy. She had relapsed to her old, juvenile ways of dealing with her emotions, and saving her pride and ego. She was running away, without any intention of stopping soon.

Exhausted, screaming and panicking, Pumbaa and Timon, who had been lagging many yards behind Kovu, took a few minutes to reach him. When they finally caught up, the three of them just stared at each other and in the direction that they had last seen Kiara escaping, their eyes wide but weak.

"She's gone. How could she be gone, _yet again_?" Timon loudly sighed, clueless as to what either of them could or should do.

"_Kiara!_" all three of them thoughtlessly yelled into the distance after a brief pause.

_Please come back, _Kovu silently wished, sadness and worry creeping into his facial features.


	3. Brown

Brown.

Why was everything so brown?

The dirt beneath his feet, the dehydrated grass, the shrivelled nearby creek, and the cloudless sky that morning at dawn, when this whole saga had first began. Even his skin and mane, everything, it all seemed so _brown_.

And he wasn't wrong. He hadn't been in the middle of surroundings this brown for several months, since he had lived in the barren, putrid Outlands, and since before he had reunited with his sweetheart, who was now nowhere to be seen. Her golden coat had always been a sight for sore eyes during this drought, in its rough, _brown _glory. This current drought was, in fact, the most severe one that the Pridelands had seen since Scar's reign. Kovu had been just a month or two old when Simba had claimed the throne, and therefore this drought was the worst one that he could remember.

Unfortunately for the pride, the drought had, of course, driven hundreds of animals away to wetter and lusher areas. Animals that were their prey.

_What a time to be born in, _Kovu thought, his musings suddenly having been drawn to his newborn brother-in-law. _Scarcely a sick lizard or drop of water in sight. _

Over and over as they travelled, the small group noticed how Kovu's thoughts were proven correct. As far as their stinging, exhausted eyes could see, there was nothing alive at all, let alone their missing member.

"Hey!" Timon spoke up suddenly in his typical whiny, sardonic voice, startling his two friends. "I know how much of a cliché this is, but I _seriously _think we might have been walking around in circles for the last... uh, how long ago did we lose her?"

No one else bothered to answer him as they began to consider what he said.

_How long _has _it been? _Kovu mentally asked himself. _Hours by now, it must be. I can't believe she just ran away from us like that. Why don't I know what's wrong with her? I'm supposed to be her mate; we tell each other everything! Jeez, her father will _not _be impressed with our timing. Not that there's any commoner in sight to attend the kid's ceremony. Why is the occasion so important, anyway? It's just a bunch of animals bowing down before a baby and his parents, who will soon make one of them their next meal._

Despite his derogatory thoughts on the whole idea of a ceremony for newborn cubs of the royal family, Kovu did feel the tiniest thistle-prick of envy in his soul, for he knew that he had never had such a thing occur to celebrate his birth. Scar had only chosen Kovu as his heir a mere day or two before his death, and he, like the other cubs born during Scar's reign, wasn't considered worthy enough, as a newborn, for such a thing to occur. Even if Kovu had been granted such an honour as a ceremony, then just like now, not one herbivore would have been there to see it.

Meanwhile, Pumbaa was thinking deeply (something he had not had much experience doing) about the first part of what Timon had said. He stared questioningly at the ground, looking for prints in the white dust. An unpleasant, hot wind whipped through the empty savannah as he searched, and it was then that Pumbaa realised how futile his efforts were turning out to be: these gusts had occurred with annoying frequency over the past few days, so even if they had indeed been following themselves, any evidence would have been swept away not long after it was made.

"You're wrong. We all know these lands like the tips of our noses, and I don't think help is too far away," Kovu quietly exclaimed, with more than a spark of hope evident in his words; for he, like his warthog companion, had also been contemplating their surrounding landscape, and had noticed something else brown. It wasn't the dirt, the grass, or the creek. It wasn't the sky, his skin, or his mane. It was, however, something that stood out noticeably in the young lion's eyes, despite its colour camouflaging it perfectly with the earth around it. He knew that it, or rather, who it was home to, could help them find his lost love.

"Oh yeah? Well, how do you know for su..."

Timon left his retort unfinished, for he was too busy gazing where Kovu had directed his line of vision. They could finally see, in the distance, the place where their original mission had sent them: the baobab tree. And in it, the trio were pleased to discover that they could make out, even from this far away, a friendly, familiar face that was emerging to greet them.


End file.
